Apparatus for recovering sulfur.



P. S. SMITH.

APPARATUS ron nnoovEmNG sULFUn.

APPLIOATIOFPILED JUNE 10, 1908.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

To all whom 'it may concer/n:

UNITED srarnswrwngnnr clarion.

PAUL S. SMITH, OF NEWBURGH, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. I. DU PONT DENEMOURS POWDER COMPANY, 0F' WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION O NEWJERSEY.

Specication of Letters Patent.

APPARATUS FOR. RECOVERING SULFUR.

Patented Jan. yat, 1910.

Original application iled December v3, 1907, Serial No. 404,889. Dividedand this application filed .Tune 10,

1908. Serial No. 437,645.

Be it known that I, PAUL S. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newburgh,'count ofOrange and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for the Recovery ofSulfur from Sulfur-Bearing Gases, of Iwhich the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyinvrdrawings, which form a part of this'specification.

This application is a division of an application filed by me December3d, 1907, Serial' N o. 404,889, and claims the apparatus which isdescribed in said original application as the meansy wherebythe processclaimed therein is preferably practiced.

In a patent issued to me February 11, 1908, No. 878,569, I have setforth a process .and apparatus for recovering sulfur from sulfur-dioxidin which producer gas and water gas are successively formed and thewater gas mixed with the sulfur dioxid and the mixed ases heated by thecombustion ofthe pro ucer gas, thereby causing the mixed gases to reactwith evolution of sulfur vapor. In said process and apparatus theproducer gas and water gas, alternately formed in the gas producer, areled respectively to st01'age"'ta11l s from which, as rcquired, the twogases are separately led lto the reducer. This process and apparatus lare operative and comparatively efficient and economical, but thepresent invention' has for its object to greatly enhance the etliciencyand economy ofthe process by such modifications therein a'swill enablethe producer gas and water gas to be manufactured .continuously insteadof alternately, and to be led, immediately upon their formation, to thereducer. In my prior application, while both water gas and producergas'are led continuously1 to the reducer,the storage of each gas,necessitated. by the intermittent nature of its manufacture, causes a`drop in lits temperature, thus requiring an expenditure of a certainamount of energy to elevate it to its temperature of combustion orreaction. My present invention, by providing for thecontinuous`manufacture of both gases, dispenses with the necessity -oftempo-- rarily storing either and permits of both gases being ledimmediately to the reducer,

4thus enabling the process to be carried on wheels 15 and 150. Eachhand-wheel is connected with its corresponding blast-gate by means of apinion 16 on the hand-wheel shaft engaging a rack '17 on a rod 18attached to the blast-gate.

19 and 190 are pipes leading from the steam header 8, by means of whichsteam underI pressure is supplied beneath the gratos of the generators10 and 100, the admission of steam beingcontrolled by the valves 20 and200, which are operated from the working platform 9 by means of thefloor stands 2l and 210. A

` 22 and 220 are covers which are removable for the purpose of chargingthe gcnerators 10 and 100 with fuel.

23 and 230 are retorts constituting the re# ducing apparatus andconsisting of steel shells lined with fire-brick and largely filled withfire-brick checker work.

24 and 240 are stack-valves, by means of which either retort may beallowed to discharge into' the stacks 25 and 250.

.26 and 260 are twoway valves, by means of which the gases from thegenerators l0 and 100 may be caused to pass to the upper parts of theretorts 23 and 230 through the pipes 27 and 270 to the lower parts ofthe retorts through pipes 28 and 280. Eachtwoway'valve 26 or 260, throuh rod 261, and the corresponding stack va ves 24 or 240, through rod 24,l is connected with a correspending lever 29, which 4is operated from ahand wheel 30 by a pinion 31 on the handwheel shaft engaging a rack 32on the lever. The connections are so arranged 4that when stack valves 24and 240 are open, and simiyso 'gases to pass upwardthrough the 100 toass to the retorts 23 and 230 downward t rough the -pipes 28 and 280,the

la'rly when the valves 26 and 260` cause the pipes 27 and 270, the stackvalves are closed.

33 is a two-way valve, similar to valves 26 and 260, controlled from theworkingplat form 9 by means of the hand wheel 34, pinion 35, rack 36,and rod 37, and so placed in the pipes 38 and 380, leading respectively.

from the retorts 23 and 230, as to control egress of the gases from theretorts to the condensing system 39. This condensing system may be ofany suitable size, form and arrangement, and is not herein furtherdescribed as it forms no part of my invention herein claimed. v

40 and 400 arepipes leading from the blast-main 12 by means of whichairis supplied to the lower part of the retorts 23 and 230, theadmission of air to theretorts being controlled by means of the valves4L and 410,.operated from the working platform by means of the floorstands 42 and 420.

43 is a pipe leading froma source of sulfur dioxid to the blower 44,which cause's a current of sulfur dioxid to flow through the pipe 45 tothe valve 46, which controls the supply Iof sulfur dioxid to the retorts23 and 230 through the ipes 47 and 470.` The valve 46 is operated ymeans of the hand wheel 48; the latter having a pinion 49 en gaging arack 50 on a rod 51 attached to a lever 52 to which isl also attachedthe rod 53 carrying the valve 46.

n The operation of making 4water-gas being of an intermittent character,inasmuch as the passage of steam throughthe incandescent fuel eventuallylowers the temperature of the fuel below the point at which watergas is`most advantageously formed, it becomes necessary to raise the fuelagain to the proper temperature by forcing a blast of air through it.This operation forms producergas, whose manufacture is also of anintermittent nature. On the other hand, .it is aimed tomake thereduction of the sulfur 'dioxid continuous, involving a continuoussupply ofboth water-gas and .roducer gas, as well as a continuous supp yof sulfur dioxid. The' capacity of the foregoing apparatus to effectthis continuous operation will be-apparent. e

Referring again to the drawing, the fol- Ilowing conditions arerepresented: The Vfuel in the generator ltis'bein raised to the propertemperature lfor ma g water-gas.

' The blastate 14 'being open, the blast su plied by t e blower 13passes throught e blast-main 12 through the pipe 11 and upward throughthe fuel in t e generator 10, forming the socalled producergas,essentially a mixture of carbon monoxid and nitrogen.4 The producer-gaslso formed passes ducer-gas is ignited, its heat of combustion beingadded to its sensible heat, so thatv in its passage upward through thefire brick checker work of the retort 23 the bricks are raised to abright red heat, the Wastel gases finally escaping through the openstack valve 24, and passing to the air through the stack 25. The valve33 is in such a position as to cutoff the condensing system 39 from theretort, 23, while the sulfur dioxid flowing through the pipe 45 isprevented by the Valve 46 from entering the retort 23.

It is 4assumed that when the blast is put in operation on the generator10, as described, for the purpose of bringing the fuel in the generatorl0 to the temperature ofAv maximum efficiency for the formation ofwatergas, the fuel in the generator 100 has already been brought to asuitably high temperature by similar means. At this point the blastgate140 has been closed, and the steam valve 200 has 'been opened, admittingsteam beneath the grate ofthe" generator 100.v The steam passing upwardthrough? the incan!` descent fuel is dissociated with the formation ofwater-gas, which passes through the valve 260 and the pipe 27() toJtheupper part of the retort 230, the inter-connection of the valve 260vandthe stack valve 240 being such, as has been described, that when thevalve 260 is open the stack valve '240 is closed. The current. of sulfurdioxid supplied by the4 blower 44 throu h the pipe 45 Ais caused by thevalve 46 to ow through the pipe 470 to the upper part of the retort230.Hereth'e sulfur dioxid becomes mixed with the watergas, and passingdownward through the redhot checker work of the retort is reduced to.sulfur. This sulfur' vapor so formed, to-

getherx with the other products of the reaction, water vapor and carbonmonoxid,.pass through the ipe 380 to the condensing system39, to wllfiehaccess is given by the twoway valve 33, `In contact with the extensivecooling surface of the condensing system, the hot gases fall to such atemperature thatl the sulfur vapor condenses; rst to a liquid in thehotter parts of the condensin system, and finally to solid flowers ofsul ur in the cooler portions." Suitable means should beI 'water-gas inthe generator 100 has reduced the temperature of the fuel below thepoint of maxmnnn efficiency for the formation of water-gas, and thechecker work in the retort 230 has been somewhat cooled by the continuedpassage of the comparatively cold sulfur dioxid. The blast-gate 14, andthe auxiliary blast-valve 41 are now closed, cutting off the blast' fromthe generator 10 and the auxiliary blast from the retort 23. By means ofthe hand Wheel 30 the stack-valve 24 is now closed, and the valve26reversed, while the valve 20 is opened, admitting .steam to thegenerator 10. By means of the hand-Wheel 48 the valve 46 is nowreversed, cutting oli' the sulfur dioxid from the retort 230, andadmitting it tothe retort 23. At the same time the valve 200 is closed,cutting ott' the supply of steam from the gen- .erator 100, and thevalve 33 is reversed, cutting lotl the retort 230 from the condensingsystem 39, and giving access to the condensing system from the retort23. The blastgate 140 is now opened, While the stack-valve 240 isopened, and the two-Way valve 260 reversed by the operation of the handwheel 300. Finally, the auxiliary blast-valve 410 is open, thussupplying the air necessary for the combustion, in the retort 230, oftheproducer-gas from the generator 100. The entire system of valves nowpresents relations the reverse of those indicated in the drawing, whilethe reactions i-n progress in the generator 10 and the retort 23, and inthe generator 100 and the retort 230, are mutually reversed Wit-hreference to the foregoing' description. The generators and retortsoperating thus in alternation with reference to the generation ofwater-gas, and the heating of the retorts by the combustion of the pro'-ducer-gas formed incidentally in maintaining the fuel in the generators"at the temperature requisite for the formation of water-gas, the rocessof reducing sulfur ilioxid to sulfur ecomes continuous.

In the application filed of even date herewith, Serial No. 437,646 Ihave shown and described another apparatus forreeovering `a plur ity ofretorts, of a valve-controlled steam pipe and a valvediontrolled airpipe -eommunicatlng with eacli generator, valvecontrolled pipelconnections Afrom one generator to both endsl of its corresponding re-ltort, valve-controlled pipe connections from the other generator to bothends of its corresponding retort whereby roducer-gas may be conveyed toone end ci) each retort and water-gas to the other end, a Waste-gasvalvecontrolled exit at the last named end of each retort, valvecontrolled pipe connections to theJaSt-named end of each retort forconveying sulfur dioxid thereto, a condenser' common to Aboth retorts,and valve-controlled pipe connections from the first named end of eachretort to the condenser.

2. In an ap aratus for the recovery of sulfur from sulfur dioxid, t-hecombination With a plurality of water-gas generators and a plurality ofretorts, of a valve-cont-rollml y steam pipe and a valve-controlled airpipe communicating with each generator, valve.- controlled pipeconnections from the generator to each end' of its corres )endingretort, whereby producer-gas lmay e conveyed to one end of such retortand water-gas to the other end, a wastefgas valve-controlled exit latthe last named end of each retort', valvecontrolled pipe connections tothe last-named end of each retort for conveying sulfur dioxid thereto,and an auxiliary an blast and an exit for the gases of reactioncommunieating with the first named end of each retort.

3. In an apparatus for the recovery of sulfur from sulfur dioxid, thecombinatlon with a pair of water-gas generators and a pair of retorts,of a valve-controlled steam pipe and a valve controlled air pipecommunicating with each generator, a blower on said air pipe, pipeconnections from each generator to the upper and lower ends of itscorresponding retort, a three-way valve in said pipe connections, awaste-gas exit at the upper end of each retort, a valve for said exit, acommon control device foreach waste-gas valve and the correspondingthree-wa valve, pipe connections for conveying sul ur diox1d to theupper ends of both retorts, a blower on the sulfur dioxid pipe, athree-Way valve in the last named ipe connections for diverting sulfurdioxid) to either retort, an auxiliary valve-controlled air blastconnecting with said airipe and communicating wlth the lower eng of eachretort, a condenser, pipe connections from the lower end of each retortto the condenser, and a three-way valve in the last-named pipeconnections for connecting the condenser with either retort.

4. In an apparatus for the recovery of sulfur from sulfur dioxid, thecombination with a plurality of generators and4 steam and air pipeconnections to each generator, of a reducing apparatus, p1 e connectlonsfrom a source of supply of su fur dioxid and from each whereby thesulfur dioxid may be mixed .with water gas enerated by either generatorand subjecte to the reducing action, pipel 130.

Generator to the reducing apparatus connections from each generator tothe reduclng apparatus permitting producergas to be led to the reducingapparatus and by its combustion to supply ythe heat required forreaction of the mixed gases, a condensing system commonvto bothgenerators and pipe connections to the condensing syst`em` from thereducing apparatus adapted to receive the sulfur vapor produced by the're action ofwater gas from either generator and the sulfur dioxid.

5. I n an ap aratus for the recovery of sulfur from su fur dioxid, thecombination with \'a\p1ura1ity of generators and steam pipe and air pipeconnections to each generator, a plurality of retorts, pipejconnectionsfrom'a source-of supply of sulfur dioxid to each retort, pipeconnections from erator to its corresponding retort permittin producergas to be led into the retort an by its combustion to supply the heatrequired 'or the reaction vof the mixed gases,

a condensing system and pipe connections between each retort and thecondensing system.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, atNewburgh, on this fourth day of June, 1908.

PAUL S. SMITH.

' Witnesses; v SLoaN LAMoN'r, Jr., RALPH H. SMITH.

